After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Ouyang Zheng put down his wine glass, Li Haisheng put down his chopsticks, and Jiang Xiaoqi felt relieved.

Surprisingly, this hastily made stew didn't turn out too badly. Perhaps it was because the two of them were genuinely hungry after their journey.

In any case, the huge pot of stew was completely devoured, and the upper limit of human appetite was once again refreshed.

“Mingfei, even though the wild boar is badly injured, you shouldn’t be so reckless. If the wild boar doesn’t actually die and attacks you, what can you, a mere little guy, do?”

"Yes, Master, I won't do it again next time."

Jiang Xiaoqi deliberately emphasized the word "student," which Ouyang Zheng noticed. He coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness and steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Your senior brother and I bought a lot of rice and grain this time. If you need anything else in the future, just have your senior brother go down the mountain to buy it. He’s very fast.”

Li Haisheng nodded in agreement: "Yes, junior brother. Just tell me if you need anything. I'm very fast. If I hadn't been waiting for Master, I would have been back long ago."

These words earned him a sharp look from his master, and Li Haisheng shrank back.

"Understood, Master. With this wild boar, we won't be short of meat for the time being. It's inconvenient to always go down the mountain to buy it. We can cultivate a piece of land ourselves and grow some vegetables."

"Good, good, good idea. I'll have your senior brother clear a piece of land tomorrow."

"Also, we can buy some chicks and ducklings. We don't need a big space, just next to the pigeon coop behind the house. The hens can lay eggs when they grow up, and the roosters can be killed to make spicy stir-fried chicken."

"Spicy stir-fried chicken? Hmm~ It sounds delicious and perfect with rice. Okay, okay, tomorrow I'll have your senior brother go down the mountain to buy chicks and ducklings, and also have him build a chicken coop."

Ouyang Zheng assigned two more tasks to his eldest apprentice and turned his attention back to Jiang Xiaoqi.

"Um, that's all for now." Jiang Xiaoqi felt that if she continued talking, her senior brother would be busy taking off tomorrow, so as a fellow disciple, it was best to go easy on him.

"Alright, you two must be tired today, get some rest."

Tomorrow, I will give Mingfei some questions to check on his academic progress.

"Yes, Master," Jiang Xiaoqi and Li Haisheng replied in unison.

Jiang Xiaoqi's eyes lit up. Tomorrow would be the fifth day, and he could finally get some serious work done. He had indeed encountered a bottleneck in his self-study.

After all, the general situation of the world in this era is known and analyzed from official gazettes and books. Mr. Ouyang was once an official of the second rank, although he was an official of the previous dynasty.

The current emperor does not dwell on the entanglements of the previous dynasty. He values ​​Ouyang Zheng's great talent and has invited him to return to court several times, but Ouyang Zheng has declined each time, citing his old age and inability to do so.

After he retired to the mountains, he brought a lot of activity to this remote corner for a long time, with a constant stream of celebrities, scholars, and sons of officials coming to visit.

In recent years, people have realized that he has truly given up on his official career and will never take on any disciples, so they have given up on the idea of ​​visiting him.

Little did they know that he already had a disciple from a farming family by his side, and now he had another disciple, Jiang Xiaoqi, from a landlord family.

Li Haisheng naturally tidied the table and put the bowls and chopsticks into the wooden basin to wash them, and Jiang Xiaoqi did not pretend to stop him.

After all, it's basic courtesy for the cook not to wash the dishes.

The next day, the morning light shone into the courtyard.

Li Haisheng got up early and had already cleared a small plot of land. He was just waiting to buy some vegetable seeds while he was buying chicks and ducklings.

When Jiang Xiaoqi brought breakfast to the table, Li Haisheng had already cut down bamboo again and dragged it behind the bamboo house to build a chicken coop.

After breakfast, Jiang Xiaoqi stepped into Ouyang Zheng's study for the first time.

Only then did I notice that diagonally opposite the gentleman's desk in the study was a set of desk and chairs that matched his current height, and next to it was a set of desk and chairs of normal height.

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were already laid out on the low table. The paper was not blank; the exam questions were already written on it.

Jiang Xiaoqi, who diligently studies in the study space every night, naturally sat down, picked up her pen, and felt slightly relieved after glancing at it.

Ouyang Zheng didn't set many questions, but they covered a wide range of topics and were even more ingenious than the questions in the provincial examination.

The provincial examination only combined mathematics and law, but the policy essay questions set by the teachers involved a little bit of military strategy, a little bit of current affairs, a little bit of historical common sense, and a little bit of people's livelihood issues.

Does the gentleman hope that his students are all well-rounded individuals?

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xiaoqi began to answer.

Outside the study window, you can hear Li Haisheng chopping bamboo; the chicken coop will probably be finished soon.

An hour later, Jiang Xiaoqi put down his pen, stood up, and bowed to Ouyang Zheng, saying, "Sir, I have finished answering. Please take a look."

Ouyang Zheng was initially surprised when he saw the calligraphy that was beginning to show its strength, but the more he read, the more surprised he became.

"Have you been to the North?" I had barely finished asking when I realized it was impossible. The North was currently engulfed in war; how could this little kid have possibly been there?

"No." Jiang Xiaoqi knew why his master asked this question, after all, when answering how to solve the problem of food supplies in the North, he mentioned the geographical and climatic characteristics of the North.

"Then how did you learn about the terrain and climate of the North?" Ouyang Zheng pressed.

Jiang Xiaoqi lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before truthfully replying, "I once read about this in a miscellaneous book."

A hint of admiration flashed in Ouyang Zheng's eyes: "Oh? You're quite knowledgeable at such a young age. Do you know that very few people can answer this question correctly?"

"Then, sir, is my answer correct?"

Ouyang Zheng nodded: "The writing is quite insightful. It is remarkable that the author can think of procuring provisions for the army in accordance with the times and local conditions, while also taking into account the livelihood of the people. It shows great love and talent."

But remember not to be arrogant. The path of learning is boundless, and one must constantly strive for improvement. Like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you fall behind. Since the Liu family has recommended you to my school, I will certainly not let you waste your time.

Whether you dedicate yourself to scholarship and live a quiet life in seclusion, or aspire to continue the imperial examination system and rise to power in the court, stirring up trouble, you must not disregard the common people and forget your original intentions.

"Yes, sir! I will follow your teachings!"

Jiang Xiaoqi finally faced her husband squarely. Her husband must have been an ambitious and idealistic official in the past.

It is likely that the previous emperor chilled him to death, so much so that even the new emperor's ascension to the throne could not rekindle the fiery passion he once possessed.